The present invention relates to a rim for a pneumatic vehicle tire, the beads of which are adapted to be mounted on the radially inner periphery of the rim. The rim has a rim ring that is provided radially inwardly with seating surfaces for the tire beads. On the lateral edges, the rim ring has essentially radially inwardly extending rim flanges. Furthermore, the rim ring is provided radially outwardly with support surfaces for emergency operation when a puncture, flat tire, etc. is encountered.
A vehicle wheel having such a rim is disclosed in U.S. patent application No. 720,054, filed Apr. 5, 1985, which belongs to the assignee of the present application. A similar vehicle wheel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,426, and also belonging to the assignee of the present application. The rims of these two known vehicle wheels essentially differ in that with the first one, a recessed mounting portion (deep bed) is provided for the tire on the radially inner periphery, whereas the second referenced vehicle wheel gets by without a deep bed due to the eccentric mounting of the bead cores in the tire beads. Common to both of these known vehicle wheels is that the wall of the rim ring, which forms seating surfaces for the tire on the radially inner side, serves on the radially outer side as a support surface for the tire during an emergency operation situation, such as when the tire has been punctured or is otherwise underinflated.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned known configuration of the rim can lead to drawbacks when using tires having a constantly smaller cross-sectional area, with the spring deflections becoming smaller. In extreme situations, punctures or other breakdowns can occur that inherently include the danger of damage to the rim ring, and hence to the seating surfaces for the tire. Furthermore, due to the rigidity and unyielding characteristic of the rim ring, it is not possible to provide for an emergency operation to the extent that one would desire.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a rim that does not have the aforementioned drawbacks, and with which it is possible, in particular, to achieve an improvement or expansion of the ability to operate the tire when the latter is no longer properly inflated.